1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an elongated closure member for insulating and sealing an object as the spliced joint of electrical, electronic, telecommunications cable or other spliced article. The heat-shrinkable closure member is appropriately disposed to envelop the object. The closure member has integral hooks that are interconnectable to define an interlocking joint to effect positive closure and seal and to define thereby an enveloping tubular member. Upon appropriate application of heat, the material of such closure member shrinks to its original form thereby shrinking upon the enveloped object.
2. Background Art
The prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,218, disclose a closure sleeve for pipes and the like; U.S. Pat. No. 3,455,336 discloses a heat recoverable article and process; U.S. Pat. No. 3,467,761 discloses an electrically shielded heat-reactive jacket for conductors; U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,077 discloses a differentially cross-linked article and process for making the same; U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,313 discloses a wraparound closure sleeve; U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,807 discloses heat recoverable articles and method of making same; U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,052 discloses a wrap around heat shrinkable article; U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,587 discloses cases for enclosing substrates; U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,051 discloses a heat recoverable article; U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,011 discloses a closure method; British Pat. No. 1,506,242 discloses a fastener device; British Pat. No. 2,054,781 discloses material for wrapping around a pipe, cable or the like.
In comparison to the prior-art closure members, the closure member of this invention incorporates structural features providing the following functional attributes: the joint need not be bonded together; discrete sealing interlock of the joint is not essential; the closure member is of integral, one-piece construction; a wide range of alignment of the joint is possible because joint alignment is not critical; cross-linking or non cross-linking of the encapsulating material at the joint is not essential nor critical; the seal at the joint does not depend upon simultaneous and compatible application of heat, time and pressure; simple filed installation of the closure member can be effected regardless of weather; the sealing of the joint does not depend upon the use of separate adhesive; joint contamination will not cause malfunction of the interlocking joint; the heat-shrinkable material sandwiches therebetween the metal channel inserts to form the hooks that have total weather and corrosion resistance; the foregoing structural features cooperate to make the closure member of this invention an ideal candidate for field installation; the closure member is easily manufactured; and additional heavy equipment or tool(s) are not necessary to effect field installation of the closure member.
Such described functional attributes are solutions to the problems that prior-art closure members have in varying respects from closure member to closure member.
Accordingly, the object of the invention is to contribute to the solution of the recited problems encountered with prior-art closure members by providing a closure member that has structural features that provide the described and delineated functional attributes.